This article is about the Nether mob. For the solid block generated in the Nether, see Magma Block.

“

Few are as deadly as the Magma Cube locking sights on you. Get seen by this red and black horror and it bounces for you relentlessly, its springy body barely concealing a molten lava core that will fill your body with hot flamy pain. Friendly hugs are not advised.

Magma cubes are hostile mobs with dark red and black skin and red, orange and yellow eyes that can be found exclusively in the Nether. They are considered the Nether equivalent of slimes, with similar behaviors.

Magma cubes require two vertical transparent blocks[verify] (e.g., air, signs, torches) to spawn in, with an opaque block underneath. The space they spawn in must also be clear of solid obstructions and liquids.[verify] Big magma cubes require a 3×2½×3 space to spawn, small magma cubes require a 3×2×3 space, and tiny magma cubes require a 1×2×1 space (or 1×1×1 if the upper block is not opaque).[2]

Magma cubes move by hopping, which they will do each 40 to 120 ticks (2 to 6 seconds).

Magma cubes will search for a player within 16 blocks (spherical) distance.

If no players are found, they wait 40 to 120 ticks (2 to 6 seconds). Then they will change direction, by a random amount up to 57.30° (1 radian) left or right, jump, and repeat the process.

If a player is found, the delay before jumping will be 1⁄3 as long (13 to 40 ticks), and the magma cube's direction will be set directly toward the nearest player before jumping.

Magma cubes cannot burn and are not slowed down or damaged by lava. Instead, it seems that they can swim upward extremely quickly in lava. They cannot be hurt from fall damage, cannot swim, and will drown in normal water.

Magma cubes' jump height depends on their size. Their forward speed is twice that of most other mobs. They always make a distinct sound upon jumping up and landing, but no idle sounds.

Unlike most other mobs, magma cubes have no pathfinding ability, meaning that they will not avoid falling off cliffs and cannot go around walls, even when they are chasing a player.

Magma cubes attack players by attempting to land on top of them, but can cause damage when the player touches them anywhere. This can make large cubes tricky to fight, as their jump rate is fairly random.

The health of a magma cube is size squared. The attack strength is size plus 2. The armor points is size tripled.

A magma cube's jump height and distance also depends on their size; a magma cube will jump a distance approximate to its length times 1.5, and a height equivalent to their size in blocks. This means that a size 4 magma cube will jump four blocks in height and move significantly quicker than a size 2 magma cube, which will jump two blocks in height, while a size 1 (tiny) will move at a very slow rate and jump one block in height.

When a magma cube is killed, it may split into 1 to 4 magma cubes of the smaller size, and will disappear like other mobs if the smallest size is killed.

Magma cubes also have an odd attack interval: their attack speed is twice that of other melee-combat mobs. Mobs like Endermen and silverfish attack at a rate of one hit per second, while magma cubes attack at a rate of two hits per second. Essentially, this means that a size 4 magma cube will deal six hearts of damage per second on normal difficulty, dealing three hearts every half-second.

“It started out as a retexturing of the Slime for the Nether - it was just going to be a Lava Slime. But then when I named it that, I felt it was a bit lazy to retexture a mob. I wanted to make it more unique. I can’t really remember how I came up with the idea to have a layered block, but it’s one of my favourite mobs now. It really intrigues me. It doesn’t stand out in any particular way - I just really like it! You can use Magma Cream [an item Magma cubes drop] to brew Fire Resistance potions.” -Jeb[1]

Randomly change direction every so often, reducing the chance of them getting stuck at walls or corners.

Now randomly despawn over time if no player is within a 32 meter range.

Magma cube jumping mechanics have been changed. How far they jump now corresponds to the length of their size; they will jump approximately 1.5 times their current length. For example, a tiny size 1 magma cube will jump very slowly, while a large size 4 magma cube will jump farther. Also, when attacking, magma cubes turn their whole body to face the player.

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